learned
Football Conflicts
The ups and downs in the world of football
The icons and the cowards of the game
The financial comparison between two clubs
Zaha steals the show!
“I
all about life with a ball at my feet”
Ronaldinho
Introduction
Football, the best sport in the world. Many thrills and excitements and a sport that is close to billions of people’s hearts all around the world. In this magazine, I will be talking about the entertaining and joyful side of football as well as the upsetting and disturbing side of the sport. You will see a comparison between two football stars that have had different experiences and take on life inside and outside of football. In modern football, money now seems to be taking over the sport and I have also compared two football clubs, one team has had billions of pounds into their club so they can freely splash the cash whereas the other club has been through a crisis financially and it got to the point where every little penny mattered. This magazine will be concluded with a matchday blog on a Premier League clash between two mid table sides.
I hope you enjoy!
Contents
Page 3 & 4 - The Beautiful Game
Page 5 & 6 - The Ugly Face of Football
Page 7 & 8 - Hero vs Villain
Page 9 & 10 - Football Finances
Page 11 & 12 - Matchday Blog
The Beautiful Game
Football has always been the most popular sport in the world. The historic and majestic stadiums, the exciting competitions, the shocking transfers, the vulnerability of managers and most importantly the fans all across the world who simply live for the sport. I have had a passion for the sport all my life and these are some of the reasons why I think football always has been and always will be the best sport in the world.
The display of world class players & teams:
Unlike many other sports, football is played in almost every country on earth. This provides a high number of top quality players, which is greater than any other sport. The fact that the sport is played in a variety of different countries around the world means that the amount of football talent on this earth is unlimited. It doesn't even depend what age you are, if you are just starting your career at around the age of 5 or just about to retire at the age of 40. This is why it is normal for football fans to see a display of top quality football week in week out.
Many different tournaments
Sports like American Football and Baseball dont have many tournaments and only really have one major league and also no international competitions because it is only the Americans who play these sports. However, like I said previously, Football is played all around the world so that results in being able to have many competitions and tournaments. As well as the teams having their dedicated league and tournaments in their country, teams across Europe have the chance to compete in the UEFA Champions League which people say is the most decorated trophy in club football. The UEFA Champions League also has its counterparts which is the Europa League and the newly introduced Europa Conference League for the smaller clubs to have a chance to compete on the European stage. Something in football that isn't in many other
sports around the world is the international tournaments. Every Continent has its own dedicated international tournament but the grandest one that is levels above every other competition is the World Cup. This tournament happens every 4 years and not only is it the excitement of the tournament taking place but it also brings the whole world together to be excited for it.
Size doesn't matter
As previously mentioned, compared to other sports like American Football or Basketball, a football player’s body size does not have a high significance regarding their performance even the smallest of players can outperform any other player as the game is all about skill instead of strength and height. The fact that this sport is very entertaining is one of the main reasons why football is so popular around the world. It is essential to point out that this is one of the most straightforward sports in the world as there are no complicated rules that would confuse anyone, so someone who has never played before can quickly and easily pick up the rules and be able to play with no confusion and just enjoy the sport.
Passionate fans
Football fans are usually associated with having a lot of passion for the sport. The same amount of energy that fans show in
the stadium is the same kind of passion seen at homes all around the world. No matter what part of the planet you are from, you can guarantee that fans will always be highly enthusiastic about the game. Every club's fans will have many different songs about their players, manager, owner, or even their rivals that they will sing throughout the whole 90 minutes to try and either encourage the players to do better and or have a bit of banter.
Long lasting rivalries
There are some famous rivalries amongst various football clubs which have existed for generations. These rivalries definitely add a hint of intrigue and excitement to the sport, especially when two rival teams face each other on the pitch. One particularly strong rivalry exists between Liverpool and Manchester United, arguably two of the most popular and successful football clubs in England. Then there are other famous continental rivalries, such as Manchester United and Barcelona, and many more.
These are only some reasons that show how special this sport really is and why it is the most popular sport in the world. However despite all of the joy and entertainment of football, it does also have its negative sides and some that need to be addressed.
The Ugly Face of Football
Football can be a very exciting and fun experience to watch as a fan or play as one of the top players and a sport that brings everyone together. On the other hand, this sport can be a very dark and dull place at times and it does affect people physically and mentally.
Racism
Racism is something that has been headlining the news a lot in recent years. But it all started to get very serious back in May 2020 when African-American man George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis by police officer Derek Chauvin. This news was headlined globally and protests began all around the world. In football, Premier League tried to make a stand to all this news happening in the world because about 3 weeks after George Floyd was murdered Aston Villa played against Sheffield United behind closed doors in the first Premier League game after the Covid outbreak. As the whistle was blown to kick off the game, all 22 players on the pitch took the knee for 8 seconds for the Black Lives Matter campaign. This was a very powerful moment and definitely sent out a message to everyone to say that Racism is not a joke. To this day, in every Premier League game since this happened, the players will take the knee before kick off for the BLM campaign. However, despite all of these protests and movements, Racism is still a very common thing in the world and especially football.
In recent times, the worst racist incident that has happened occured in July 2021, in the Euro 2020
final between England and Italy, the match went all the way and had to be decided on penalties and three young England players Marcus Rashord, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka all got chosen to take a penalty but despite not being on the pitch very long, they all missed their penalties which resulted in Italy winning the European Championships. The three England players were subjected to online racial abuse by hundreds of “keyboard warriors”. Racism is seriously not okay and needs to stop immediately to make the world and also the sport of football a better and happier place.
Violence
If there is one thing that all football fans can agree on, it is that there are a disgusting number of disorder at football matches, rules being ignored, safety measures being overwhelmed and arrests being made on a regular basis. The violence in football mostly comes from football hooligans. Football hooliganism or more commonly known as football riot is a form of civil disobedience involving violent behaviours by fans at football events. This can involve conflicts between gangs supporting two opposing teams. In England these are known as ‘football firms’. Some things that football hooligans are renowned for is unarmed fighting, throwing objects onto the pitch to aim at opposition players like coins and bottle caps, and one that is previously mentioned which is taunting with racial slurs or hate speeches. These types of people give the sport of football a bad name and a very negative recognition.
Disasters
Sometimes Football is seen as a part of life, but in the grand scheme of things it is just a game, many tragedies and disasters have happened over the years. It can be a very scary time for everyone
and can affect people's lives. On November 28th 2016, a plane carrying Brazilian football team Chapecoense crashed on approach to Medellin in Colombia. This crash killed 71 out of 77 people on board and shocked the world. About 28 years before the Chapecoense crash happened, a 1988-89 FA Cup semi final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest had to be abandoned as a result of a human crush in two stands of the Hillsborough Stadium. Poor organisation by police assigned to the match resulted in excess fans filling into the standing-only central pens causing the death of 96 people. This just shows that the smallest little thing in football can turn into a disaster and shows that football is just a game.
Health
Footballers' health and fitness is a very serious part of the game and it is vital that the players feel 100% for an upcoming match. But sometimes one second you can feel 100% and the next you can feel the complete opposite. Many players in this sport have collapsed during a football match and it is a very scary moment for the players, fans and everyone.
During EURO 2020, just the third game of the tournament and a very scary and disturbing moment happened during the Denmark vs Finland, Danish attacking midfielder suddenly collapsed. The response for the medics was instant and they had to resuscitate him and use a defibrillator on the pitch. Soon after, Eriksen was taken away on a stretcher, and the match was suspended. However, UEFA insisted the two teams resume the game later that evening, despite all of the players, especially Eriksens Danish teammates were clearly traumatised by what they had just witnessed. This resulted in Denmark losing the game 1-0 to Finland. Although Eriksen fortunately survived, According to team doctor Morten Boesen he “was gone” and was miraculously brought back to life. A personal experience of mine was back in December 2021 when I was at a Premier League game between Southampton vs Leicester. It was half time and I looked across the pitch to the opposite side of the stadium and I could see several medics crowded in the stands. This is because a Southampton fan collapsed in the stands. As soon as everyone in the stadium realised what had happened, all of the fans were very concerned and hoped that the fan that collapsed was okay. The match was temporarily suspended as the fan needed medical treatment in the stands. Luckily the fan was stabilised as he
was being taken out of the stadium by paramedics and all of the fans clapped as the fan who collapsed was making his way out of the stadium. Not only players' health has to be important during a football game but also the fans and it is a very scary and serious situation and a concern for everyone.
As Well as players physical health but also their mental health is very important too. Something that sticks out when it comes to footballers' mental health is the tragic story of former German goalkeeper Robert Enke. Robert suffered from depression for 6 years and was treated by a psychiatrist. After the death of his daughter Lara in 2006. She was born with a heart birth defect (hypoplastic left heart syndrome). She was rendered deaf by the drugs used to treat her heart problems and she unfortunately died due to complications of her heart defects. After the loss of his daughter, Enke really struggled to cope. 3 years later, on the night of 10 November 2009, at the age of 32, Enke died by suicide, standing in front of a regional express train at a level crossing in Eilvese, Neustadt am Rübenberge. Depression and mental health is very serious and it just shows that no matter what people are like on the outside, you may never know how they are feeling on the inside.
These are some reasons why football is not always fun and enjoyable and it does have a lot of sad and emotional as well as scary and disturbing moments.
Robert Enke 1977 - 2009
Hero
Name - Marcus Rashford
Age - 24
Date of Birth - 31st October
1997
Nationality - England Occupation - Footballer
Club - Manchester United
Marcus Rashford is a English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Manchester United and the England National Team. Marcus is a role model to many people on and off the pitch. On the pitch he is a very exciting player to watch and many youngsters most likely aspire to be able to play like him. To be able to run with the ball at such a pace and finish as well as him is how a lot of people wish they could play. An icon on the pitch and a hero off it for all of his campaigns that he has created in recent years. Here are some of the reasons why Marcus is a hero off the pitch. In October 2019, Rashford set up the ‘In The Box’ campaign with famous retail company Selfridges to give homeless people essential
items over the Christmas period. This is something that he had wanted to do since he was a youth player for Manchester United. Marcus and his mother visited homeless shelters to personally hand the boxes out, this was also while sending some to a children’s home in his grandmother’s home country of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The fact that Marcus was frustrated by the limited amount of essentials he could give to people shows his dedication to keeping everyone happy.
In March 2020, during the UK lockdown, Rashford teamed up with the poverty and food waste charity FareShare to deliver meals to those in the Manchester area who are no longer receiving free school meals. 2 months after Marcus began this campaign with FareShare, he revealed that the charity had been able to provide 3 million meals across the country, this figure rose to 4 million the following month. In October 2020, Rashford was deservedly awarded an MBE for all of his works and campaigns against racism, homlessness and child hunger.
Villain
Name - Joey Barton
Age - 39
Date of Birth - 2 September 1982
Nationality - England
Occupation - Football Manager
Current Team Managing - Bristol Rovers
Joey Barton is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He made 269 appearances in the Premier League, including 130 for Manchester City. He is currently the manager of League Two side Bristol Rovers.
Despite some charity work over the years, Barton has been involved in many arrests and charges for a lot of different reasons. He has never been afraid to speak his mind and has regularly been unable to control his temper on and off the pitch.
In 2008, Barton was involved in a training ground fight with former teammate Ousmane Dabo, this fight resulted in him getting a six match ban by the FA. He was also given a 4 month suspended sentence after admitting assault after Dabo was left with cuts and bruises as well as a detached retina. In the same year, Barton was sentenced to 6 months in prison for common assault during an incident in Liverpool City Centre. It wasn't looking very good for Barton after this incident as he punched a man 20 times and also broke a teenager's teeth. Barton was convicted of assault and served 77 days in prison.
In 2012,while playing for QPR, Barton lost his cool during a vital game between his former club Manchester City. This was the last game of the 2011/12 season and the stakes were high as City were chasing the title and QPR were battling for survival in the Premier League. Joey didn’t help his teammates as he was sent off for elbowing City forward Carlos Teves in the throat. He also kicked out at Sergio Aguero before being shown the red card and squared up to Vincent Kompany and Mario Balotelli and he was leaving the pitch. This resulted in Barton being suspended for 12 games by the FA following this incident.
Rich Manchester City
Manchester city used to be considered as an average Premier League side, always in the shadows of their bitter rivals Manchester United. But this all began to change in August 2008. This was when Emerati Politician Sheikh Mansour financially took over the club. Mansour is considered one of football’s wealthiest owners, with an estimated individual net worth of at least £17 billion and a family fortune of at least $1 trillion.
Since City shocked the world by signing Brazilian star Robinho on transfer deadline day in September 2008, the club have been branded as ‘the richest club in the world’ in recent years by the media and the Robinho signing started a new era at the Etihad Stadium with Sheikh Mansour willing to invest in the club on and off the pitch.
with the money that has been put into the club.
Their 3 highest priced transfers consist of spending £100 million on English forward Jack Grealish, £68 million on Belgian attacking midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and £61 million on Portuguese defender Ruben Dias.
Off the pitch, Sheikh’s finances have made the club build a new training facility for the whole club. It is believed that City paid £50 million on the new complex. All of these reasons are why Manchester City have gone from your average Premier League side to one of the best teams in club football.
On the pitch, Mansour’s money made an instant impact as they spent approximately £320m on transfers between September 2008 to September 2010. City have brought in a lot of world class talents over the years
Poor Bury FC
On the other hand, not all football clubs get the satisfaction of having a wealthy person buy their club and invest millions into it. A lower league Manchester side Bury FC had a financial crisis and it affected the whole club at all costs. This all started in December 2018 when businessman Steve Dale bought the club from Stewart Day for just £1. Then in February 2019, Steve had to pay an outstanding tax bill to avoid a HM Revenue and Customs winding up order. However this did not end there as the financial problems resurfaced on April 2nd after the staff and players did not receive their salaries for March and it all started to go downhill for Bury FC from here.
On 25 April, Dale said the club's financial problems were "far in excess" of what he understood when he took over, and placed the club on the open market. Around £1.6m was needed to pay wages, HMRC and pensions by the end of May, with only £180,000 income expected during that period. On 19 June, a High Court hearing on the winding-up petition was adjourned until 31 July, to allow additional time for a potential sale.
Ahead of the 2019/20 season, Bury FC were awarded a 12 point deduction from the EFL, this also resulted in head coach Ryan Lowe resigning and several players and staff followed. Bury FC were then kicked out of the English Football League.
On the 27th November 2020, Dale placed the club into administration as they were unable to pay off any outstanding debts. this shows that football finances is not always the way it seems and a lot of clubs go thrtough these issues.
Matchday Blog Southampton VS Crystal Palace
Zaha scores late winner as visitors take all 3 points!
On the 30th of April, Southampton hosted Crystal Palace in a mid table Premier League clash on the sunny south coast. Both sides were still in with a chance of finishing in the top half of the table which gave them something to play for. Coming into this game, the Saints had won just one of their last 8 games in the league, drawing 2 and losing 5. That victory came in their previous home game as they saw off Champions League chasing Arsenal by beating them by one goal to nil. As for Palace they were winless in their last four games, though their 0-0 drw at home to Leeds United indeed their three game losing run. The Eagles had also failed to score in their previous three outings ahead of this game.
Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl makes just one change from the 2-2 draw against Brighton on the previous weekend. Tino Livramento suffered a season ending ACL injury in that match, so Frenchman Romain Perraud came in at left-back, with Kyle Walker - Peters switching out to the right. Just one change for Crystal Palace as well as Jeffery Schlupp came in to replace Palace starman Wilfried Zaha who dropped to the bench. Ahead of this game, the visitors have just won one of their 12 Premier league away games at St Mary's Stadium, drawing 3 and losing 8, however that win came in January 2018 as they won 2-1. The south London side have also never kept an away clean sheet against Southampton in the Premier League.
The game kicked off and from the first 5 minutes, you could tell it was going to be a feisty affair between the two teams. 10 minutes into the game and set-piece specialist James Ward-Prowse delivers a beautiful cross from a corner and picks out teammate Oriol Romeu who nudges Palace midfielder James Mcarthur out of the way and headed the ball off the bottom of the crossbar and into the net to make it 1-0 to the hosts. Just before the 20 minute mark were starting to respond to Southampton’s opener and they had a great chance to equalise. Jeffrey Schlupp was starting to find some space down the left hand side and he put a wonderful cross into the middle and found an unmarked Conor Gallagher who nodded it just wide of the near posts. A let off for the Saints despite their poor defending. Not long after that more danger came down that left side from Schlupp as he bursted past Southampton defender Jan
Bednarek and then fizzed the ball into Jean-Phillipe Mateta at the near post who goes for power hitting it low towards the near post but it was saved by the right foot of keeper Fraser Forster. The visitors were unable to break Southampton down in the first half and Hasenhuttl would’ve been pleased with his side's performance in that opening 45. Palace didn’t necessarily play badly in the first half as they were able to find space but lacked quality in the final third, this would’ve come to Palace boss Patrick Viera’s attention and would’ve been confidently considering introducing Wilfried Zaha in ahead of the second half.
The second half got underway and Palace came out with a spring in their step so Viera must’ve got onto them during half time because 6 minutes after the restart and Palace had a great chance and Jordan Ayew played a dangerous ball across goal from the byline, Forster gets a big hand to it but pushed it straight to Schlupp, he quickly sorted his feet out before taking the shot, but Bednarek stands tall and blocked the shot. The visitors were really pushing for an equaliser at this point and on the hour mark Former Southampton full-back Nathaniel Clyne lifted the ball from the byline over everyone in the middle and it fell to Eberechi Eze on the far side who drilled it low under Forster’s legs to make it 1-1. A very composed finish from the Palace forward but the keeper should’ve done better.
92nd minute Palace were on the attack, Mcarthur played a lovely through ball into substitute Zaha on the edge of the box. He spinned away from Bednarek but still looked like there was a lot to do but he intelligently squeezed it through a gap towards the near post, and it rolled past Forster and hit the bottom of the upright on its way over the line to complete the comeback with minutes to go.
The whistle blew for full time and Palace snatched a late winner to win 2-1 over the Saints, as they did in their only other league win at St Mary’s in 2018. It was definitely a game of two halves, with Southampton enjoying the better of the first 45 minutes and kept the visitors frustrated. But that frustration quickly turned into joy in the second half and Palace deservedly went back to Selhurst Park with all 3 points.
Within minutes after that equaliser, 3 substitutions were made as Wilfried Zaha came on for Palace to replace Mateta who was on a yellow card. As for the Saints, Shane Long and Che Adams made way for Armando Broja and Stuart Armstrong. The final half hour of this game was constant domination for the visitors and they were then pushing for a winner to complete the turnaround and in the
is nothing without fans”
Sir Matt Busby
“Football
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